Finding Family
by Dibria
Summary: Naruto awaken in hospital to find himself missing twelve years of memories, what's happened to him and how will he cope with friendships he has no memory of and a family he didn't know he had.
1. Chapter 1

Darkness, the kind of dull and murky darkness that he had long since associated with having been knocked unconscious was the first thing that Naruto was aware of. Slowly a steady, rhythmic beeping started to penetrate his mind followed swiftly by the sound of his own breathing. He attempted to open his eyes but a light as bright as a thousand suns forced his temples to throb and his blood to pound deafeningly round the inside of his head.

Slowly, very slowly, his eyes grew accustomed to the bright light and its' blinding source became clear to him – an ordinary fluorescent tube housed in a reflector above him. He looked around the room and sighed; white surfaces – check, beds with mattresses thinner than his little finger – check, light green curtains on movable rails – check.

Yup, he was in hospital – Konoha general by the looks of it, with a heavy heart he pressed the call button by his bed knowing that someone would be sent to fill him in on how he got there. The last thing he remembered was… Wave country, he had been sent to take out a remnant force of Akistsuke spies who had set up shop as petty thugs with no masters to guide them.

Naruto groaned, he remembered now, the intel had been wrong, what was supposed to be a few low ranked spies had also included a couple of b to a rank nuke-nin. They where no match for Naruto but one of them hit him with some strange Jutsu and then… nothing until he woke up here.

He heard the door open and close behind the green curtain before Tsunade walked around it, she gave him a brief look up and down before smiling, "You gave me quite the fright, how are you feeling?"

Naruto leant back against the mattress, "Not great, I think the Inuzuka clan had a party in my head."

Tsunade gave a bark like laugh and sat down on the edge of his bed to run a few scans, "Well it was nothing too serious; a touch of anaemia by the looks of it, you slept most of the day – don't worry though I had Kakashi pick up Hana from the academy and Sai covered your paperwork."

Naruto looked at her oddly, "What?"

Tsunade shrugged, "Well Sai says he pretty much had to write the whole report – do you always leave all your work this late? I never noticed as it never seems rushed but… writing a mission report in a day is a bad habit."

Naruto looked at her blankly, "What the hell are you talking about? How did I wind up here?"

Tsunade frowned and started to scan his head slowly, "You don't remember?"

Naruto shook his head, "Last thing I remember is being ambushed on my mission, they had me surrounded, I managed to take down a few grunts but one a missing nin – who did not appear in the intel I might add – hit me with a Jutsu I had never seen before and then I woke up here."

Tsunade frowned as she scanned him, "Well that's odd, you got back from your last mission three days ago, you're here as you collapsed in my office this morning – overworked yourself by the look of it… well I can't see anything wrong with your head, you didn't knock it when you fell." She frowned, "I'd like to keep you in for testing if you don't mind," she gave him a pointed look that told him that he didn't, "I do not like my shinobi losing time."

Naruto nodded and Tsunade stood up, "Before you go," She turned round, "about what you said before…"

"Yes?"

"Who's Hana?"

Tsunade dropped her chart and looked at him with the oddest expression, "Naruto what mission where you on last?"

Naruto blinked, "I was sent to wave to remove a remnant Akatsuki camp, some of there…"

Tsunade cut him off desperately, "How old are you Naruto?"

Naruto looked at her, "You know…"

Again she cut across him, "How old are you Naruto?"

Naruto blinked, "I turned seventeen a couple of months ago."

Tsunade was at his side like a shot resuming her scanning with a slightly desperate look in her eyes, she sighed and slumped down on the edge of his bed, a sad look replacing the desperation. "There is no easy way to say this Naruto but… you're not seventeen."

"I'm not?"

"Not by a long shot."

"How old am I?"

Tsunade sighed again, she seemed to age and shrink into herself, "twenty-nine."

Naruto pulled himself up in the bed and leant against the headboard, "…wow… o…k…"

Tsunade pulled him into a light hug, "I realise that this is a shock but it's a shock for me too…" She suddenly winced and groaned, "Cracker's gonna kill me."

"Cracker?"

Tsunade chuckled slightly, "Oh you'll find out I guess… there is so much to tell you and I really don't feel right to be the one to." She gazed at him affectionately, "This must be hard, you've lost twelve years of your life, and trust me when I say; what a twelve years!" she smiled at him, "But the person I think you need to talk to most is on a mission right now… it's only a local c-rank so they'll back in the next few hours, in the mean time I would like to take a few samples and run a few tests to see if we can figure out what happened. I'll also bring Ino in to see if she can figure anything out using her family techniques."

Naruto nodded and a tear ran down his cheek, "I forgot my own child didn't I? You said Kakashi picked up 'Hana' from the academy for me." He started to cry properly, "I have kids! I have a family and I _Fucking forgot them!_" the anger in his voice was tinged with desperation and sadness. Tsunade just held him and made shushing noises, what more could she do?"

* * *

Hours had past since he had first woken up and Naruto had spent most of the time staring blankly at his wedding ring or at himself in the mirror above the sink in the corner of the room. His hair was longer than he remembered it being and a less fluorescent yellow. His eyes where a darker blue and they seemed to have sunken slightly giving him less of a child like appearance. His whisker marks where ever present and his skin lightly tanned, all in all he looked – as Tsunade had said – to be in his late twenties or early thirties.

He rubbed the stubble on his chin – that would take some getting used to, previously he had not really needed to shave, Kiba took the piss regularly sporting a goatee himself. According to Kiba a beard made a guy look distinguished, according to all the girls that turned him down it made him look like a dick.

The memory made Naruto chuckle and he looked down at his body, toned but not muscular, that disappointed him. Naruto always imagined that when he got older he would be properly muscular with the amount of exercise he did but, while athletic, he was by no means the physical specimen he expected. It made sense he supposed, he had never met a _competent_ ninja that was overly muscled, even bushy brows was lean and toned.

He attempted to channel chakra to see if his seal had faded at all, the result was blinding agony that resulted in his collapse onto the floor.

* * *

"…Ruto… Naruto… Can you hear me?"

Naruto blinked and shook his head, crouched beside him was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on. Pale porcelain skin framed by long pitch-black hair and a pair of white eyes that held a slight purple tinge to them. The illusions of beauty were however slightly marred by the look of hurt and worry that where told in her features.

"Naruto? Are you ok?"

Naruto pulled himself to a seated position and leant against the wall, once there he looked up at her again and nodded once. The woman, a Hyuuga he was sure, smiled at him and sat next to him.

"Tsunade-sama told me," she said gently, looking into his eyes, her worry was almost palpable to Naruto – it made his heart beat uncomfortably; he wanted nothing more than to take away whatever was causing it, "she also said she didn't tell you anything she could avoid, she seemed to think I would want to."

Naruto sighed, "I'm sorry but… I don't know who you are. I mean – you're obviously a Hyuuga, what could you possibly have to do with some lowlife like me?"

The woman looked simultaneously hurt and humoured, "You really don't remember anything do you?" Naruto shook his head, "I'm Hanabi, _Uzumaki_ Hanabi. Your wife."

Naruto blinked in shock and made a stumbled apology, "I-I'm so sorry, I mean… to forget my family is…" tears began to slide down his face and she held him. Naruto found the embrace of the small woman, and she was _really_ small, oddly comforting.

She sighed before laughing a little, "There you go, crying again, father always said you cried enough for both of us."

Naruto clung to her tightly, he couldn't explain it but he didn't want to let go, "Before she realised, Tsunade made a comment about Kakashi picking up 'Hana' for me – our daughter?"

He felt rather than saw Hanabi nod, "Yes," she laughed again, "When she was born you caused quite the fuss, first shouting from the Hokage monument when you found out I was pregnant, then again crying 'it's a girl' so loud we expected complaints from Suna."

Naruto chuckled, "Sounds like something I would do."

Hanabi ran her hand through his hair, "yes it wasn't really surprising I suppose… very embarrassing though."

"Why Hana?"

Hanabi paused for a moment, "When you had just been promoted to jounin… you led a mission to tea country, a tracking mission, which consisted of you, Shino and Kiba's sister Hana." She began stroking his head rhythmically as if she where used to it, "You where ambushed…"

"Seems to happen to me a lot." Naruto commented dryly.

Hanabi did not laugh however, "Hana died saving your life, I can't tell you the details as you never really talked about it, but I do know that you promised her, even as Shino tried to apply field medicine, that should you ever have a daughter you would name her after her."

"She died?"

Hanabi was slow to respond, "Yes and no… she survived the mission, said goodbye to her family and slipped into a coma from which she never woke up. She finally died two years ago… you visited her often, still do in fact, and always with flowers." Hanabi smiled sadly to herself, "Every Saturday morning you go, I remember you once said you brought her flowers so that she would 'remember how to bloom.' I have no idea what you where on about but it sounded very poetic."

Hanabi shook herself, "Why are we sat on the floor anyway?"

Naruto realised that they where sat a short distance from a perfectly good pair of visitors seats and smiled apologetically, "Sorry, I didn't really feel up to standing when you first came in."

Hanabi blinked as if suddenly reminded of something, "What _where_ you doing sprawled out on the floor when I came in, last time I saw you like that you thought you could drink Anko under the table."

"Ugh," Naruto replied standing up wearily, "That sounds like it was a mistake."

"It most certainly was, now give me an answer." Naruto did not need to remember being married to this woman to know that the look on her face now meant that he either answered her question or would be in seriously deep shit.

He thought for a moment, straining to remember the cause, "I tried to mould chakra, there was a _hell_ of a lot of pain and then I blacked out."

To his surprise, rather than being angry Hanabi simply nodded and said, "Show me," he stopped himself short of asking what she expected to see when he noticed that the veins around her eyes had swollen, a sure sign she was using her bloodline.

Naruto decided that he had best go along with her wishes and moulded some chakra, again he was faced by a blinding pain but just before he passed out a small hand shot out and hit him just below his neck removing the pain instantly… and also stopping him mould chakra temporarily.

"I take it you saw something?"

Hanabi nodded, "A corruption of some sort, I don't know what it is or why it's there but I'll talk to the doctors about getting it out."

At that moment the door opened and closed behind the curtain and Tsunade walked round, "good to see you up and about," she turned to Hanabi, "How's he doing?"

"Confused, upset and tired I think, I saw some alien chakra in his system, I think it would be best if you tried to remove it."

Tsunade shook her head, "Not until I've had Ino look at him, if it's a mental technique – which seems likely – ripping it out of him could cause a lot of problems."

Hanabi nodded in agreement, "You're right, I defer to your superior experience." She turned to Naruto, "I have to leave now as I am yet to turn in a mission report."

Tsunade cut across her, "Take your time, I would be a cold hearted person to force you to worry too much about work right now when you are having gamily issues."

Hanabi nodded in consent smiling, "Thank you Tsunade-sama."

"God Naruto I'll never get why you love this girl so much, she's an ice-cube." She smiled at Hanabi, "Crack a smile every now and then girl."

Naruto looked at Tsunade like she was mad, "She is smiling."

Hanabi smiled at Naruto and Tsunade looked at him blankly, "I will never get how you do that."

"Do what?"

Hanabi laughed lightly, "You where always the only one who could tell my moods."

Naruto frowned but realised as he looked at her just how subtle Hanabi's expressions where, what he had automatically perceived as a wide smile was in actuality nothing more than a slight upturn of her lips and narrowing of the eyes. Thinking back he realised that her laughter had been little more than subtly different exhalations – she even said 'father always said you cried enough for both of us'.

Naruto was surprised, "You mean no one else can tell your absolutely beaming at me?" Tsunade laughed and Hanabi blushed, "See, you blushed! You're definitely blushing!"

Tsunade looked at her face closely, "I guess I can see a slight…"

"I am not!" she shouted.

Tsunade chuckled, "Well the one 'Cracker emotion we all recognise; anger."

"Cracker? You said that before."

Hanabi glared at him, "And it's your fault, you started that irritating nick-name."

"I did?"

Tsunade nodded, "When you first started openly dating you started calling her 'firecracker' instead of Hanabi and 'Cracker' just kind of stuck."

Hanabi's glare hardened, "Fortunately I have a say in what _you_ call me so only our friends still call me that."

"So what do I call you?"

Hanabi blushed again and Tsunade grinned, "In public you call me Hanabi or Dear."

Tsunade leant in close to her ear, "And in private?"

Hanabi sent a death glare at her that would have left many a brave man running for cover.


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto followed Hanabi out of his hospital room, over the last half hour Tsunade and themselves had discussed options for what to do now and had finally decided that it was probably best for him to go home for the time being. Ino was currently unavailable and the Yamanaka clan, small as it was, did not have anyone else with the exact area of expertise needed.

As they walked to the reception desk Naruto noticed a familiar shock of pink hair behind the desk, the style had changed and the woman looked older but there was no doubting that it was Sakura. A grin spread across his face and he made to shout out to her but Hanabi cut him off, "I wouldn't recommend it, a lot has changed since you where seventeen."

Naruto frowned but didn't say anything; it seemed pointless as they had virtually reached the desk, "Uzumaki Naruto to check out." Hanabi stated calmly as they reached it.

To Naruto's surprise his old teammate stiffened before turning around with the fakest smile he had ever seen, "Hyuuga-san, Naruto… what a _pleasant_ surprise."

Hanabi nodded to her and took the form she held out to sign, "Indeed, how have you been Haruno-san?"

Naruto was confused, Sakura was being openly hostile toward Hanabi, he couldn't be sure but he got the feeling that calling Hanabi _Hyuuga-san_ rather than _Uzumaki-san_ was a deliberate insult.

"Oh I'm fine – been backstabbing anyone recently?" she asked, now less openly hostile and more spoiling for a fight.

To Naruto's amazement though Hanabi kept her voice calm but her face told him she was seething inside – he had to remind himself that Sakura probably hadn't noticed the subtle shift in expression.

"No, I find backstabbing something I am entirely unsuited to – but how is betrayal suiting you?"

Naruto found himself suddenly having to hold Sakura back while Hanabi calmly went about filling out his release form, Sakura glanced at Naruto then back at Hababi, "One day he'll realise what a bitch you are and on that day the village will shun you with the rest of us."

Hanabi smiled at her serenely and held out the completed form, "And on that day I will lose all my money to Tsunade at the roulette table."

Naruto chuckled despite his confusion at the whole situation, this however drew an angry look from Sakura, "You'll get you just deserves one day to mark my words."

Realising that she was no longer likely to suddenly attack anyone he let her go and walked with Hanabi out of the front of the building. Once they stood together under the bright evening sun he decided to ask the burning question in his mind, "What exactly did we do to her?"

Hanabi sighed sadly, smiled at a memory and then turned morose, "You upset a lot of people by marrying me."

Naruto chuckled, "I assume your clan was top of that list."

Hanabi rose an eyebrow, a tiny movement that could have been missed easily, "Surprisingly no, my father was our greatest supporter for a time."

Naruto was amazed, "What about the clan head?"

Hanabi laughed again, "My father was clan head, Hyuuga Hiashi."

Naruto's eyes widened, "That makes you Hinata's sister?"

Hanabi nodded, "Indeed, younger by five years."

Naruto started to put the pieces together in his mind, "Hinata was in my year at the academy so you must be twenty-four," Hanabi nodded, "And if our daughter is in the academy she must be…"

"Six."

"Meaning you had a child at…"

"Eighteen."

"And when we where married you where…"

"Sixteen."

"We'd been dating for…"

"Two and a half years."

Naruto whistled, "So when I was nineteen I was dating a fourteen year old? That must have attracted some attention."

Hanabi chuckled, "Not really, it was something of a secret at first."

Naruto nodded, "Anyway, we're getting off topic – why is Sakura so angry at us? And you in particular?"

Hanabi gave a resigned sigh, "When you decided that you would like to marry me you first entered into discussion with my father."

Naruto nodded, "I suppose that would have been the right thing to do."

Hanabi nodded, "However you where overheard discussing marriage and his daughters with him by a branch house member who relayed the information to my sister."

Naruto blew out his cheeks, "I think I see where this is going."

"Hinata, as it turned out, was madly in love with you and had been for some time but was too embarrassed to admit it to you or the family. Upon hearing word that you where in marriage talks with her father she assumed they where over her and not her fifteen-year-old sister. As I said before, our dating was something of a secret so she had no reason to believe it was I you wished to marry."

Hanabi gazed distantly as if remembering, "She told her friends what she had heard and they all assumed the same as her – word eventually reached me through Neji whom had heard only hearsay and rumour." She blushed, "I… I cried and told Neji everything of our relationship, in an effort to understand what was happening he then sought you out." She smiled brightly, "You where by my side in seconds, panting and drenched in sweat you dragged me to see my father – tears still running down my cheeks and without saying a word to me,

Father looked at us in confusion before asking why I was crying. You, Neji and I managed to work out and explain most of the misunderstanding, father approved the marriage then and there stating that we clearly loved one another."

"When Hinata arrived home and learned of her misunderstanding she was distraught; she cried, she shouted, she begged father to dissolve the newly established marriage contract, begged you to 'see reason' and begged me to 'keep away from what was hers'. In the coming weeks the scandal spread, many people took Hinata's side, after all her love for you had apparently been well known and I was seen as a harlot who only wanted to destroy my sisters' happiness. I seceded from the clan so that we could live together in peace and Hinata took the role of clan heir starting rumours of me 'running off with Hinata's boyfriend and leaving her all my responsibilities'. Never mind the fact that we had been dating long before or that you and Hinata had never been more than friends."

Hanabi sighed again, "We still get word from father every now and then telling us that he has had to use his seat as elder to stop her pushing through a clan by-law that would require me sealed, placed in the branch house or annul our marriage."

Naruto rubbed his face and tried to blink away his surprise as they continued to walk down the road, "So I take it Sakura took Hinata's side and thinks you somehow seduced me?"

Hanabi nodded, "Yes, she is also deeply angry with you because you ignored her advice and married me anyway – she was absolutely livid when I came in to have Hana."

Naruto shook his head, "So who out of my old friends are angry with me over this?"

Hanabi thought a moment, "Kiba is pretty angry, seems he had a crush on Hinata and was willing to let it go if you took care of her but seems to think you betrayed her in much the same way Sakura thinks I stabbed her in the back by 'taking you'."

Naruto nodded, "I guess that means Shino is pissed at me as well."

"Surprisingly not, he claims that if you look at it logically we did nothing wrong and while it might have caused harm to hide our relationship the fault eventually comes to Hinata for jumping to conclusions - he often comes round to say high and play with Hana."

Naruto was surprised, "Who else then?"

"Hmm… Well Kurenai is upset with me but is still very much on our side… Ino is on our side, I think she just loves the scandal of it."

Naruto chuckled; he could well imagine that being true.

"Shikamaru is on our side and so is Chouji, Neji is on our side but Lee and Tenten aren't."

"Wait, why are Lee and Tenten pissed off?"

Hanabi looked mildly ill for a moment, "Lee… seems to have had a thing for me at one point… Sakura kept turning him down and he 'highly respected my tai-jutsu ability – it far exceeds what one might expect from one so small'."

Naruto winced, he had that feeling again, just like during her argument with Sakura at the hospital only this time it told him that Hanabi was sensitive bout her height, "And Tenten?"

"Is a close friend of Hinata."

"That doesn't seem so bad… I mean we could try building some bridges…"

Hanabi cut him off, "Naruto, we've been married eight years – if they can't let it go now it's doubtful they ever will. I know it's upsetting for you, but we've had this discussion at least once a week since I was sixteen and it's got us nowhere. We have invited them, all of them, to every birthday, Christmas and gathering we've held and they have never turned up, not even to shout at us."

Naruto slumped a little, "It all seems so sad and pointless."

Hanabi nodded her agreement, "Yes it is, but people hold grudges – particularly ones about affairs of the heart."

Naruto supposed he had to agree with her there, when he was away with Ero-sennin he had spent a lot of time on the run because of grudges from women who's hearts his sensei had toed with.

"Hanabi… can I ask you a slightly hurtful question?"

She smiled sadly and nodded, "It was."

Naruto looked at her in shock, "How…?"

"You where going to ask if it was worth it, and I have to say that it was; we miss our friends, you do especially, but in return we got so much more. A house with a garden – just like you always wanted, and a beautiful daughter with whom to share it."

"We're not rich but we have enough to pay our way and you always find enough to spoil Hana rotten." Naruto smiled at the picture she painted, "Every morning you get up an hour before me to make breakfast before bringing it up to bed where we sit and talk and laugh - when Hana wakes up she runs through and I then take her to the academy. When neither of us have missions we stay in and spend time together and when Hana gets home we take her to a training ground where I shout at you for teaching her something dangerous."

Naruto laughed loudly at that, "Then when it's time for her to go to bed you drag her up kicking and screaming, she'll try to sneak back down to watch TV until she eventually gives up and works out she can't sneak past two seasoned Jounin."

She smiled at Naruto and he asked, "We're happy?"

She nodded, "We're happy."

He moved in and pulled her into a hug, "I'm sorry."

She laughed, "For what?"

"For screwing it up by forgetting everything."

She rubbed his back and breathed his scent deeply, "We'll fix it, and in the meantime I just guess I'll have to make you fall in love with me all over again."

Naruto chuckled, "I think you got me already."

Hanabi smiled and pulled away from slowly, holding his hand she continued to lead him toward their house, "Funny, you don't strike me as the holding hands in public type."

She smiled at him, "And you don't strike me as the kind of guy to fall for an emotionless girl like me – but you did." She gave him a cheeky smile, "twice now in fact."

Naruto laughed as she led him, "I still don't get how anyone can call you emotionless – it's not that hard to tell how you feel."

"We talked about it once – you reckoned you could tell my emotions the same way I could see straight through your lies. We both grew up hiding our emotions, though for different reasons, we both sort of… 'get' each other."

Naruto felt strangely contented by that, as far as he could remember he had spent his whole life wishing there was someone who understood him and here she was. A beautiful girl who understood him as much as he understood her, and she'd even gone and married him! He was fairly sure that he had spent the last eight years wandering how he got so lucky.

"What?" she asked as Naruto gazed at her fondly.

"Just working out how the future me… past me… _whatever_ me got so lucky."

She laughed, "you have no idea how often you say that."

Naruto smiled, "So does that mean you're sick of hearing it?"

She pulled him close and gave him a peck in the lips, "Never."

She walked up to the front gate of a small house surrounded by a largish garden house, "Here we are."

Naruto looked at the house he supposedly lived in, it was like someone had taken all his dreams and built them. Sure it was smaller than he'd dreamed of as a kid, a little more run down and the garden a little more overrun but hit had that essential feature – it looked like a _family_ lived there, not a kid on his own. There was a badly damaged training dummy in the garden by what appeared to be the vegetable patch he always dreamed of having. The windows needed a lick of paint but through them he could see photo frames that he imagined where full of pictures of him, Hanabi and Hana. A ball had been left in the garden and he could make out a children's swing set round the side of the house.

"It's wonderful." He choked out.

Hanabi squeezed his hand, "You always told me you dreamed of a real family home with a real family… if guess this really was what you dreamed for."

Naruto nodded, "But… is it what you wanted?" he looked at her and she looked slightly surprised.

"Of course it is! I wanted you and I wanted Hana, everything else is a luxury."

A familiar voice spoke from the house, "Spoken like a true mother." Naruto turned to see Kakashi in the doorway, "The Hokage sent word – how you doing kiddo?"

Naruto however was no longer listening; his attention was stuck to the little girl running across the garden to him.


	3. Chapter 3

The little girl ran toward Hanabi and Naruto with a massive grin and her arms extended, she looked mildly surprised however when Hanabi stooped to pick her up.

"I wanna hug Dad too!" she shouted as Hanabi held her.

"Daddy's not feeling to good today, it's probably best…"

"Let me hold her." Naruto cut in, Hanabi turned to look at him still holding their little girl.

Naruto's eyes looked watery and he was clearly choking back tears but his expression was a broad smile and he had his hands extended toward her ready. Hanabi nodded, a warm smile perceivable only to the man before her on her lips.

Hanabi extended the girl toward him and he picked her up under each arm then balanced her on his hip. He couldn't quite believe that she was his child, that the young girl he was looking at called him – the village demon – Dad.

He looked her over and drank in her features; wide child like eyes stared back at him a vivid heart stopping violet, her face was round but he could tell that she would look much like her mother as she grew. Her hair was a lot shorter than Hanabi's but was dark in colour like her mothers – she had an overall sense of a tomboy that was only helped by the scrapes and scratches that cover all academy students.

"Dad? Are you alright?" The innocent curiosity on her face made him laugh, he looked to Hanabi's pensive face then back and hugged the young girl tightly.

"Yes," He replied holding her as if she would disappear, "Yes I am."

A relieved and happy smile graced Hanabi's features as she watched and a brief glance at Kakashi revealed he was both touched by the heart-warming scene and feeling a little awkward at his intrusion into a private family moment.

Looking to Hanabi Naruto motioned his face, "Has she… you know?"

Hanabi nodded, "A variation thereof, according to Tsunade her eyes are the colour mine would be if I didn't have the byukugan – or nearly anyway. Seems that the byukagan 'mutation' produces weird results in iris colours but they're never seen behind the white as more than a slight tint. When she inherited 'normal' eyes from you and the 'mutation' from me the result was… violet apparently."

Naruto looked at her blankly, "I have no idea what that all means but I get the feeling some serious research went on."

Hanabi nodded, "Hinata was trying to use byukagan as an excuse to pull me back into the clan so extensive genetic work had to be done on Hana to appease the elders – that one was a close call though. It's apparent that she has the potential to 'unlock' some form of doujutsu but it will not be the byukagan if she does."

Naruto turned back to Hana who was now looking between the two of them strangely, "Are you talking about me?"

Hanabi laughed, or more specifically gave a shorter and sharper exhalation than usual, "Yes we are."

She pouted, "Why?"

Hanabi sighed and turned to Naruto, "How about you go talk to Kakashi in the living room and I'll try to explain things to Hana." Naruto looked reluctant to let her go, "Naruto… Honey… I know that it must feel like you have to hold onto everything right now but I promise we're not going anywhere"

Naruto handed Hana to Hanabi and followed them up the path to a waiting Kakashi, once they had stepped into the house Hanabi headed immediately left into what appeared to be the kitchen and closed the door behind them leaving Kakashi and Naruto in the hall.

Naruto looked around, as well as the door Hanabi had just walked through there was a staircase up the left wall, another door at the end of the hall and one immediately to his right opposite the kitchen. The things that caught his attention most however where the pictures that lined the walls; half a dozen or so photos in frames displayed to him a glimpse of the past twelve years of his life.

Most notable where a photo of him and Hanabi dressed formally in a large dining hall that he assumed was taken at his wedding reception, and a photo of a tired and dishevelled Hanabi holding a bundle of blankets in her arms, a small face just visible within.

"Twenty-seven hours," came Kakashi's voice from behind him, Naruto turned to look at him quizzically, "she was in labour for twenty-seven hours, during which time you amassed fourteen-thousand ryo of property damage trying to keep calm."

Naruto blinked in surprise taking another look at the photo, "fourteen-thousand ryo?"

Kakashi chuckled, "You where driving the nurses mad with incessant questions so they kicked you out the hospital, the result was you trying to calm yourself through training… you wanted a sparring partner and… well…"

"Well?"

"You summoned Gamabunta."

Naruto gawped at him, "What was I thinking?"

"Probably something along the lines of 'please let her be ok'," Kakashi shrugged, "You where scared, worried and nervous – not only where you about to become a dad but the doctors where worried about the effect childbirth would have on Hanabi." He clapped a hand down on Naruto's shoulder, "Two nurses and a doctor retired that day because of you."

Naruto shook himself, "I think I need to sit down."

Kakashi nodded in understanding and moved with Naruto into the living room where the pair sat on the large and comfy twin sofas in the room. Naruto glanced around, a three piece suite, a wall of books and scrolls and large bay windows where the primary assets of the room, "Not much for luxuries are we?"

Kakashi chuckled again, "Hanabi grew up in a house which she felt was overly decadent and you grew up without luxuries and so never felt the need for them – a match made in heaven."

Naruto leant back and covered his eyes with his hands, "This is a lot to take in."

"I imagine it is, I can't imagine what it's like to wake up one day and forget the last twelve years of your life."

Naruto dropped his hands back down with a heavy thump and shook his head, "It's nothing like that at all, it doesn't feel like I've forgotten twelve years, it feels like I have jumped forward in time."

Kakashi nodded, "I guess that would be how it would feel from your perspective."

Silence reigned in the room for a couple of minutes, "Kakashi-sensei, can I ask you a weird question?"

The elder man smiled with his one visible eye, "I am fairly certain that in reference to your day no question you can ask me will be weird, relatively speaking."

Naruto nodded slowly, "Am I a good father?"

Kakashi let out a long and heavy breath, "That's a hard question Naruto, and one I can't really answer. From my perspective you certainly seem to be, you always seem to put Hana first, when you are with her in public she always seems happy… or is throwing a tantrum but that's to be expected – she is a child."

Kakashi paused a moment, "But conversely I have no idea what goes on in your house, I don't know if you spoil her too much or you feed her the right foods – I can only judge your fatherhood based on what I see and her academy grades and they both seem good enough."

Naruto smiled at him, "Not the answer I was hoping for but thank you for being honest."

Kakashi shrugged, "If I had simply said yes and it was revealed that you only fed her Ramen I think we would both be disappointed in me."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah… Does she like ramen?"

Kakashi's face grew grave, "I'm sorry to say Naruto that she absolutely hates it."

Naruto gawped at him, "You're kidding!"

Kakashi shook his head, "No, you where a little disappointed when you found out but 'Cracker sorted you out."

"Sorted me out?"

"Gave you a beating and told you to grow up."

Naruto chuckled, "Probably wise, I can't imagine myself being disappointed in that girl in any way."

Kakashi smiled and stood up, "I'm sorry to say I need to get going, I'd love to stay and tell you more but… well, it's not really my place and I have other things I have to do."

Naruto nodded in understanding, "I know, thanks for sitting with me sensei."

"No problem kiddo, I'll see myself out – just make sure you're not _too_ hard on yourself, this isn't your fault afterall."

"Thanks." Kakashi smiled at him before stepping out into the hall, the bang of the front door followed shortly after.

Naruto exhaled a deep and weary breath before slumping forward and resting his head in his hands, he felt as if the whole world was weighing him down. The slow and steady ticking of a clock somewhere in the house was penetrating his head as if mocking him, it seemed to be a cruel laughter that reminded him of the time he had missed.

It was now that he really had time to think of what he had forgotten; meeting the love of his life, proposing, getting married, falling out with his friends, being promoted, his daughters birth, her first steps, her first day of school… he had 'forgotten' all of it.

But what defined a moment or event in time? If he didn't remember it then surely, to him, it was if it never happened? He felt undeniable love toward Hanabi, and underlying emotion from the first time he saw her in the hospital room. Similarly he felt an overwhelming urge to protect and take care of Hana, a different kind of love altogether, but it was there memory or not.

And this room? He had no recollection of this room at all but he felt at peace here, it felt like his home, he had not problem sitting on what was for all intents and purposes, to him, someone else's sofa.

But what where these feelings without memories to back them up? The complete lack of it feeling alien was almost alien in and of itself, he almost felt as if he was under and elaborate genjutsu but the giddy and drunken feeling he associated with implanted memory wasn't present.

Naruto was interrupted mid existential crisis by the sound of the kitchen door opening and the two ladies of his life stepping through the hall and into the living room to join him.

Naruto had barely any time to react as Hana jumped onto him and nearly winding him, before he could gather his wits she had him in a tight bear hug, "Mummy says you're sick."

Naruto sighed and held her gently against him, "I'm afraid I am a little."

"She says you don' remember stuff."

"It's 'don't' sweetie – there is a 't' at the end of the word." Hanabi corrected.

Naruto chuckled, "I have forgotten a few things, I'll remember them with time."

"Do you remember my birthday?"

Naruto felt saddened, it was a question he really wished he could answer yes to, "No, I'm afraid I don't sweetie."

Naruto's heart felt like it was breaking as twin violets grew watery as they gazed at him, "What about Christmas?"

Naruto laughed despite his sadness at that, she was a child after all and Christmas and birthdays seemed really important to a six year old, to most six year olds, "I know about Christmas," he said poking her nose and causing her to scrunch up her face in response, "You'll just have to tell me all about your birthday and what you want."

He was happy to see that this was apparently the right thing to say as Hana's eyes instantly lit up as she launched into explanations of her friends, what was fashionable in school and what she wanted. He smiled at Hanabi as she sat next to him on the sofa and rolled her eyes at some of what their daughter was saying, apparently she had heard this all many times before.

"…and Nara-kun said that they only sell them in Suna, his uncle got him one for his birthday."

Naruto was amused to realise his earlier observation that she seemed a bit of a tomboy was correct, it seemed that all her friends were guys and she was more concerned with learning to fight than what flowers went best together.

"Yes, well," Hanabi cut across, "I don't think you need a sand snake poison kit – wouldn't you rather have a kimono? You start Kunoichi lessons next term."

Hana scrunched up her face in distaste, "I don't wanna do Kunoichi lessons – all my friends get to do trapping and interrogation when the girls have to do Kunoichi lessons."

"Really? All we ever did when I was there was history and tactics." Naruto pondered aloud.

"Dad," Hana whined, "You said you were going to talk to Iruka-sensei about getting me in the other class."

Naruto felt Hanabi's eyes boring into the side of his head as he tried not to look at her, "I get the distinct impression I am about to be in trouble for something I don't remember doing."

"That's funny," Hanabi replied coldly, "so do I." She turned to Hana and smiled, "Sweetie, go do your homework, I need to talk to daddy for a minute."

As if she could sense the incoming storm she was gone from the room as fast as Naruto had ever seen a six year old move.

Silence reined for several seconds as Naruto struggled to meet Hanabi's gaze.

She sighed as Naruto eventually met her gaze, "I suppose it would be unfair of me to be too angry over this… we had discussed it."

Naruto smiled nervously, "I… I err… don't remember."

Hanabi seemed to visibly relax and a slight look of sadness entered her eyes, "Well we _did_ discuss it," she leant back in her seat, "It's hard, even coming from a family like mine I find it hard to let go of her as my little girl."

"She's still your little girl."

Hanabi nodded, "But she's my little _Kunoichi_ more than my little girl these days – she trains so hard and she's not even been at the academy a full year."

Naruto put his arm around her shoulders, "Would you expect anything less?"

"No," Hanabi agreed, "But… she always looks so pretty wearing her yukata at festivals or a kimono when I can get her to wear one – but she's such a tomboy."

Naruto smiled, "So you want her to dress up and be girly? Is that it?"

Hanabi smiled slightly, "Is that so wrong? She's my precious little girl but all she likes to do is get in fights and get dirty."

"She's six."

"I guess, and when she was born we promised, both of us, that she would never know the childhoods we did – she would never be pressured into something she didn't want to do but… Kunoichi training is different to not forcing her to learn a family style or letting her not be a ninja."

Naruto sighed and thought for a moment, "I am going to ask some things now that you may have already answered – I have to go with what I know which is what I knew at seventeen."

Hanabi smiled at him, "Don't worry about it – we still have time to sort it out and we need to have you relax and…"

Naruto raised his hand to cut her off, "When was the last time you did flower arranging for a mission?"

Hanabi thought for a while, "I never have – I have never done a mission that required it."

"When was the last time you seduction on a mission?"

"Fairly recently, I seduce someone to further mission goals a few times a year – I have never had to sleep with anyone though."

Naruto nodded, "What else do Kunoichi lessons cover?"

"Various little bits of information about blending in to groups of women in other nations – local behaviour patterns etcetera."

Naruto nodded, "Right, now how much of that would you be happy to teach to Hana outside of school?"

Hanabi frowned as if realising something for the first time, "Well the seduction lessons were next to useless, I'd want to go over those with her anyway… Local behaviour is next to useless unless you have to time to observe what the customs are in which case you can copy them that way…"

"Ok," Naruto replied, "So if Hana is absolutely dead set on not doing Kunoichi training what will she lose out on?"

Hanabi sighed, "Really, only the chance to befriend some more girls – I worry that she hasn't got any female friends her own age."

Naruto shrugged, "These things take time."

Hanabi nodded, "I guess, ok, I think I'll have a word with Iruka before next term, it wouldn't be the first time someone had changed class – must be something about the name Hana."

Naruto looked at her quizzically, "Kiba's sister?"

Hanabi nodded, "She was the tomboy to end all tomboys, her mother had to persuade her to grow…"

_He was in a forest sat near a campfire, to his left was the stoic Shino gazing into the embers and to his right a beautiful woman laughing, "My mum had to persuade me to grow my hair past my shoulders as a kid."_

Naruto gripped his head as the living room span around him, "Naruto? Are you ok?"

_He was stood in the middle of a street in the evening, Sakura shouting something at him as rain poured down roofs and splashed in gutters, "…Always loved you! Do you realise how much this will hurt her?"_

He struggled to stand from the sofa as the colour drained from his vision, "Naruto?"

_He was lying on the ground barely conscious and bewildered, "Why did they leave him alive?"_

"_Not a clue, but we need to get him back to the village ASAP."_

As he fell to the ground of the living room, the last thing Naruto saw was Hanabi's distraught face.


	4. Chapter 4

_The sky was a stunningly beautiful sight through the forest canopy overhead, stars twinkling above brighter than normal with no moon in sight. Naruto sighed contently as he turned his head to look at his sleeping partner – her brown hair was splayed out around her reflecting the dim light like a rippling pool._

"_What?" She asked quietly._

"_Just thinking I'm glad your mum had you grow your hair out."_

_She chuckled and snuggled against him, pulling the blanket that covered them tighter as she moved, "Well I'm glad Shino volunteered to go get supplies."_

_Naruto smiled, "How many regulations are we currently breaking?"_

_She pondered quietly for a moment, "As long as we don't fall in love – none, sex is not prohibited as a form of release on missions."_

_Naruto laughed, "So we're within the letter of the law if not the spirit."_

_She nodded against his chest and breathed in deeply, "Ugh, down side to having an Inuzuka nose – this whole area absolutely reeks of sex."_

_Naruto sniffed, "Yeah, think Shino will notice?"_

"_I think he'll notice when he gets back to find the pair of us naked under a blanket – no way am I moving right now."_

_There was silence for a few minutes as the couple basked in the quite beauty of the woods._

"_Hana?"_

"_Hmm?" Hana lifted her head to look at him._

"_I'm outside the letter of the law."_

_Hana laid her head back against his chest, "So am I."_

_--_

"_Shit! Shit! Shit! You can't die!"_

_Naruto leant over a heavily bleeding Inuzuka Hana as a deep wound across her torso bled profusely, his hands were red with blood as he tried to staunch the wound with strips of cloth from his shirt._

_Shino appeared next to him and his insects started to crawl across the wound, carrying the green glow of medical chakra wherever they went, "She is fading Naruto-san."_

"_Na…ruto…"_

"_Shhh… Don't speak – don't do anything," tears ran down Naruto's cheeks, "Come on – we only just found each other, how can we lose each other so fast?"_

"_I don't understand," Shino muttered, "My kikai bugs are healing her wound but she is continuing to…" he paused as Hana struggled to say something._

"_H…Head…" she managed to force out as her eyes began to dim._

_Shino was immediately checking her for a head wound, "Found it," he withdrew his hand pulling with it a long sliver of metal, "A senbon needle."_

"_Will she make it now it's out?" Naruto asked, gripping her hand tightly._

_Shino made a non-committal gesture, "She is beyond my help, I suggest we knock her out and take her back in medical stasis."_

_Naruto nodded, "You hear that Hana? We'll take you back to the village – you'll be ok."_

_She shook her head gently, she could talk more easily now she no longer had a needle in her skull, "You know… that's not true."_

_Naruto shook his head, "No – you'll be fine, and you'll introduce me to your parents and we'll get married and we'll have a little girl and dogs."_

_She smiled at him, "…sounds nice…"_

_Naruto smiled back, "And it will be ours."_

_Hana squeezed his hand with all the strength she had left, "Call her Hana for me."_

"_Who?"_

"_Your daughter, when you have her, with whomever you have her, call her Hana and remember me."_

"_Don't be silly, it'll be confusing with both mother and daughter having the same name."_

_She gave him a look that told him all he needed to know and just as Shino finished the stasis jutsu he whispered to her, "I promise."_

_--_

_Naruto had run from his debriefing the second he heard she was conscious again, Tsunade had been by her side healing her but he had to answer to the daimyo to explain why they had lost the spy they had been following. He had failed the first mission he had lead as a Jounin and potentially lost a team mate and lover._

_He burst through the door of her hospital room to find her family gathered around the bed, an exhausted Tsunade leaning over Hana's still form a look of utter defeat on her face as she explained the situation to them all._

"_The needle passed through the back of her skull and penetrated into her brain carrying with them a toxin, while the needles removal relieved pressure on the areas at risk the toxin has damaged them beyond repair… I do not believe she will ever wake up."_

_Naruto's world crashed around him, he had found someone and had her taken away from him within the space of ten days._

_--_

_Naruto replaced the flowers in the vase beside Hana's hospital bed and spoke quietly, "It's been six months now since the mission… I'd ask how you are but I never do get an answer." He smiled sadly at his own little joke._

"_I thought I should tell you, I've started seeing someone… It's kind of hard to talk about right now but… I like her a lot and I know I can't wait forever for you when we were only together for such a short time."_

_Naruto leant forward and picked her hands up between his own, "I'll keep visiting – I'll always visit, and I hope one day that you wake up."_

_--_

"_Hana this is Hanabi, she's the girl I've been seeing – you know what I was talking to you about before? Well she said yes."_

"_She can't here you, you know."_

_Naruto smiled, "I don't mind I feel I should tell her."_

"_This is a lot of effort for a woman you led on one ill fated mission – even if you feel responsible."_

"_I have my reasons."_

"… _I see."_

_--_

"_Hana I have someone I want you to meet – this is Hana, see, just like I promised, I named her just like you wanted me to…"_

_Naruto rocked the bundle in his arms backward and forward, "I don't have the dogs yet but I have the house and the daughter, you'll have to visit when you wake up."_

_A tear rolled down his cheek, "You'll always be welcome Hana, I know Hanabi won't mind – we never discussed it but I know she knows that I still love you – they say you never really get over your first love." He laughed a little, "Though when you wake up I'm afraid she would be the one I stayed with… I love her, I love you and now I have another girl in my life to love."_

_The baby Hana in his arms started to cry, "Uh-Oh, looks like someone wants her mum, I'll visit as I always do… get better.'_

_--_

"…_ashes to ashes, dust to dust…"_

_Naruto wept quietly as Hanabi held his hand tightly, the first woman he had truly loved was cremated and her ashes scattered from the Hokage monument. The service was simple, few people had attended and the day saw a temporary truce between Naruto and Hana's brother Kiba._

_Naruto had never discussed his relationship with Hana with anyone, even what Hanabi knew was deduced rather than given, but when he exchanged a glance with Kiba he could tell that they both knew that they had said goodbye to important parts of their lives that day._

_--_

_Saturday morning, He laid a bouquet of flowers from the Yamanaka flower shop on the fallen comrades monument, he stayed in silent prayer for the better part of an hour._

_--_

_Saturday morning, He laid a bouquet of flowers from the Yamanaka flower shop on the fallen comrades monument, he stayed in silent prayer for the better part of an hour._

_--_

_Saturday morning, He laid a bouquet of flowers from the Yamanaka flower shop on the fallen comrades monument, he stayed in silent prayer for the better part of an hour._

_--_

_Saturday morning, He laid a bouquet of flowers from the Yamanaka flower shop on the fallen comrades monument, he stayed in silent prayer for the better part of an hour._

--

Naruto awoke with a start in his hospital bed, silent tears running down his cheeks.

Instantly he felt several sets of hands pushing him back down and the soothing voice of Hanabi by his side, "You're ok, lay back down – relax."

Naruto blinked in confusion and looked around, surround him were Hanabi, Shizune and Ino, "Wh…what?"

Ino filled him in, "Hanabi called the hospital saying you had some kind of relapse, and I was called back from my mission early to see what was wrong; you just had what's known as a 'recessed progressive chakra memory cascade'."

Naruto stared at her blankly, he couldn't quite place this location, it felt so unreal, "I was just… at the fallen comrade monument."

Ino shook her head, "Your chakra was fighting the Jutsu that caused this causing specific memories to trigger in an almost genjutsu like fashion, usually they are linked to a single item or person in your memory, forcing you to relive whatever you remember… what did you see?"

Naruto looked at the faces of the three women surrounding him, "It's personal."

Hanabi grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze, "I know it's hard right now – whatever memories you saw seem to have had a great effect on you – but it _will_ help in the long run."

Naruto leant his head back against his pillow, "Hana… I remember Hana."

"Hana our daughter or Inuzuka Hana?" Hanabi asked.

"Inuzuka Hana." Naruto took a couple of deep breaths before standing up a little unsteadily and walking toward the door.

"Naruto!" Shizune called out, "Where do you think your going?"

"Out," Naruto answered from between gritted teeth, "I need to be alone for a while."

He shut the door to his hospital room behind him and ran, he didn't really care where he went but he had to get away, to just do something that wasn't… he didn't even know what he was avoiding.

He felt a pain in his heart that he couldn't liken to anything he ever-remembered feeling, yes that was it, nothing he _remembered_ feeling. He had forgotten someone completely, someone who had a profound impact on his life.

As he ran he found himself stood in front of the monument that marred his newfound memories, the monument he had spent so many hours stood in front of wishing he had been faster, stronger, better. The monument that his wife inexplicably let him visit despite knowing that it signified another woman to him.

He was confused; she let him effectively cheat on her with another woman's memories? A woman that had stolen his heart in less than a week?

He heard the soft padding of three sets of feet landing behind him, "Why?" Naruto asked, "Why do you not get jealous that I am still haunted by another woman's memories?"

Ino and Shizune stayed silent despite their confusion, Hanabi stepped up beside him, "I told you before that you never really talked about what happened on that mission… we both knew why and we both accepted it…"

"But… I leave every week to spend time in the presence of a woman I was together with for 10 days!"

"But she was important to you, she made you who you are today… she is the only casualty that you have _ever_ had on a mission."

Naruto snapped his gaze to her, "That's not…"

Hanabi smiled sadly, "_Those who disobey the rules are trash, those that leave their friends behind are worse than trash_, you made that mantra your own and it has made you one of the most respected Jounin in the village. Every year parents request you be made their child's sensei based on your record, you _never_ prioritise the mission over the men."

Naruto let the tears role down his cheeks, "When I first woke up… you told me all these wonderful things about who I was and the life I led… but this feels like a tarnish… like I'm unfaithful to the happiness I have achieved."

Ino spoke up at this point, "It must be hard to grasp right now Naruto but your current feelings don't represent your feelings over time – you have just witnessed twelve years worth of accumulated memory and emotion."

Hanabi reached out and grabbed his shoulder, "You were never 'unfaithful', you moved on once we got together… you just could never tell her in a way that you were satisfied with – I hate to be cliché Naruto but you needed closure, you still do in fact."

Ino nodded behind them, "I don't know the details but from what I have heard I have to agree, it is hard to have someone you love slip into a coma, moving on is hard because, even knowing they will never wake up, you can't help feeling that they're not really gone." She paused for a moment, "I can't speak for your feeling but the whole village knows how much you love Hanabi, sure some of them are confused why you didn't pick Hinata but in everything you do we can see the feelings you hold for her and your daughter."

Shizune walked forward and smiled at him sadly, "You were happy Naruto, but everyone has some regrets in their life and this is yours."

Naruto sighed and nodded, looking back to Hanabi he realized that he had been overreacting, he loved her and he had never been half hearted in his feeling for her. He had married her because he wanted to… he didn't remember it but he remembered how he felt telling Hana in her hospital bed. He remembered the feeling of sadness for it not being Hana beside him being crushed by the happiness that he was marrying Hanabi.

"Let's go back to the hospital," he said, "I think I understand myself a little better now."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ino asked hopefully – she _did_ love a good scandal and she heard him say 'against regulations'.

Naruto thought for a moment and then to the surprise of all three women replied, "Yeah, I'll tell you as we walk."

--

Three hours later Ino stood in front of the Hokage's desk as she read her report in sullen silence, eventually she threw it back onto the table a look of annoyance on her face.

"You're certain?"

"Yes," Ino replied, "I have not encountered this specific Jutsu before but it is doubtless the cause and it could only have come from one source."

Tsunade stood and walked to her window, leaning on the sill she observed the village she was sworn to protect, "Have you told Naruto or 'Cracker?"

Ino shook her head, "No, I came straight to you when I found out."

Tsunade sighed deeply scratching the side of her head; "There are several diseases of the chakra system capable of causing a recessed progressive chakra memory cascade, hell even stone fever can in the right circumstance!"

"I am aware of that ma'am but I am afraid that there is no other explanation, the person that did this to him…"

Tsunade finished for her, "…Was a Yamanaka."


	5. Chapter 5

A light breeze blew through grass producing a soft rustle in the otherwise soundless setting before the memorial stone. Naruto silently knelt his hands pressed together before him and his eyes closed, his offering of flowers lying on the cool granite surface offering a solitary patch of brightness against the dark monument. He opened his eyes and stood the ghost of a smile on his lips, "Even when I forget everything else I still remember to come and say hi."

He scratched the back of his head and sighed, "I'm not really sure what to say now… I've moved on, I know you know that and I've told you before but I feel the need to tell you again."

Kneeling back down Naruto extended his fingers to gently trace the characters of her name, "I've moved on, not forgotten… People often make that mistake, they say you need to 'forget the past and get on with your life' but they're wrong… We must never forget, just learn to live with the pain."

He took a deep breath, "This monuments an amazing thing, I've never really thought about it before – at least I don't think I have," he smiled, "Sorry; amnesia joke. "Anyway, I think it's amazing – there are so many names, so many people who have died in service to the village but they're never forgotten. I could go into a bar and say remember…" he picked a name at random, "Mazuki Tooru, and someone would drink to his name… that's who we are, we aren't like bandits or samurai, we not only know each other but we tell each other stories; "I was with him when" "She was the one who"… in any bar in the village you can hear legends spreading."

"That's where I was wrong… I wasn't ashamed, I wasn't scared of persecution – I just didn't want to face up to my own demons. You're gone, you have been for a long time and you're not coming back, I always knew but I always held out hope that you'd wake up one day. But I've grown up now, and I'll tell your legend starting with your family… I'm not sure what I'll say but I'm going to talk to your mum – maybe, just maybe, it'll stop me beating myself up about it."

Naruto stood up again and ran his hand over his face, "She never blamed me you know, you're mother I mean, other members of your clan did but never your mum. When the others whispered behind my back about how I had just been promoted and wasn't ready to lead the mission she was quiet. As they all filed out of your hospital room she was the last one, she patted my shoulder, and without stopping or looking back she muttered so that only I could hear, 'You did you're best'."

Naruto took a deep breath and wiped his eyes, "Thank you," he whispered, "for all you have done for me, whether you where there when you did it or not."

--

Ino studied the flaking scrolls of her family archive with obsessive detail, chakra patterns, neural-chakra interfaces, brain chemistry, seal theory, soul theory, consciousness separation – the detail of the work was vast but as she studied she learned something that was frightening. For a family that used their techniques with such regularity and confidence they knew surprisingly little about how they worked.

Sure she had always been taught that her mind/body swap technique worked by forcing her mind into her opponents body but she never really stopped to think about how, now in front of her were several rival theory.

One postulated that it was an advance form of genjutsu, that it effectively forced the opponent to sleep while taking control of their body through direct chakra manipulation of the muscles while providing sensory feedback by a sort of self inflicted genjutsu that made her _believe_ she could see what they could.

A second hypothesised that the chakra manipulation directly affected the neural-chakra interfaces in the brain, offering direct control over motor functions and perception.

A third theorised that the soul was actually pushed from one body to the other using chakra and that the technique had the potential to make a new permanent home for the user in an enemy's body should they themselves become to injured to carry on.

The final theory caused Ino to shudder involuntarily, it reminded her too much of what she had heard of Orochimaru's cruel experiments and the idea that he may have received the basics for the technique from her family nauseated her.

Closing one scroll she opened the next, '_memory as a double edged sword_'.

--

Naruto sat at his kitchen table smiling as the little girl opposite him glared as hard as she could, "I don't want to!"

"Look sweetie, Mummy talked it through with Iruka-sensei and this was the arrangement they came to."

"But I don't want to do flower arranging! I wanna be in the same class as all my friends!"

"And you will be, as long as you learn flower arranging with Mummy at home, don't you want to spend time with Mummy?"

Naruto tried not to laugh as he watched his daughter struggle, she didn't want to say she didn't want to spend time with her mother but she really hated 'girly' stuff.

"Can Mummy show me how to throw kunai?"

At that moment Hanabi walked through the door carrying a pile of dry linen in from the washing line, "I could… how about we make a deal."

Naruto struggled not to laugh as he saw Hana eye her mother suspiciously – she was bright this one, "What deal?"

"How about, for every flower arrangement you finish I teach you about weapon throwing for half an hour." Hanabi winked at Naruto and he bit his tongue, he remembered Ino saying it took her nearly three hours to finish an arrangement when she first started.

Hana seemed to think for a moment before nodding brightly, "OK!" she gave a massive grin that showed she thought she'd won before skipping out the room and upstairs.

"I'm not sure whether that was clever or cruel." Naruto observed.

Hanabi chuckled and threw a sheet for him to start folding, "she's as stubborn as you at times, something like this will be good for her."

Naruto caught the sheet and began carefully folding it, "Why's Iruka so hell bent on her learning flower arrangement anyway?"

Hanabi made a slightly puzzled expression, "I'm not really sure, he kept saying things about 'centring herself' and 'self discipline'."

Naruto winced, "Yeah, we used to get that in the boys class when it came to Kata-arts."

"You did Kata in school?" Hanabi asked.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, apparently Iruka-sensei figured that the best way to teach meditation to a bunch of rowdy kids was physically, that way he could tell more easily who was concentrating properly… you know I never thought about it before but I guess that's when he first started to take special note of me."

Hanabi nodded, "That makes sense if you think about it, in other classes the best way to tell how hard you were working would be involvement and grades, no one would let you join in and your grades were abysmal so he probably thought you were a slacker."

"That makes sense I guess, so when it came to Kata training he could tell I was working hard even though I was on my own."

Hanabi put the sheet she had been folding to one side and pulled the next from the bundle she had brought in, "I suppose that also explains why he is so keen to get Hana doing flower arranging, it's another form of applied concentration."

Naruto frowned, "But if she joins the boys class she'll be doing Kata as well as all the extra history lessons, surely she doesn't need to do both Kata _and _flower arranging."

Hanabi smiled softly, "As fond as you are of him Naruto you have to see that Iruka is a little old fashioned, he's always gone easier on the girls in taijutsu training and assault course work. He probably just feels that Hana will be better off with flower arranging or that she might decide to switch to the Kunoichu class next year anyway and she should keep up with them in case."

"I guess," Naruto stretched his hand out and Hanabi passed him a sheet, "I suppose that all the girls did get much lower grades in the physical aspects than the girls."

"Exatly," Hanabi agreed putting her now folded sheets down on the table and taking a seat next to Naruto, "Having seen what some of the girls in your class can do now do you really believe they were incapable of scoring as high as the guys did?"

Naruto remembered Sakura punching a hole through a brick wall and shuddered, "Yeah, with the right training some of them are far better at taijutsu than others in our graduating class."

"Exactly, I was the highest scorer in taijutsu in my class thanks to clan training, I would have scored much lower if it had just been down to Iruka."

"But…"

Hanabi held up her hand, "I'm not saying he's a bad teacher Naruto, he works to everyone's individual level and no one falls behind… he just sets the bar lower for girls."

Naruto put the last sheet on top of the pile, "Do you think that it's actually quite… dangerous?"

Hanabi shrugged, "The jounin sensei know what to expect and evaluate their teams before taking them into dangerous missions, sadly I think the reason no one pays any attention to it is because they all think the same way." She thought for a moment, "have you ever thought about the female jounin in our village?"

Naruto shuddered as his mind jumped to Anko, "No."

"Think, _really_ think, do you notice anything?"

Naruto thought for a while, "They're all pretty?"

Hanabi gave him a look that told him his current thought process might have him sleeping on the sofa, "They all specialise in one field, Kurenai _only_ uses genjutsu, Anko is an RAI (Recon, assassination and interrogations) specialist even Tsunade-sama is a medic." She paused, "compare that to the men."

Naruto frowned, "Gai _only _uses taijutsu…"

"Yes but what's Kakashi's area of expertise," Naruto couldn't think of _one_ are he excelled in over others, "What's Inoichi's? They have specialist skills but over several areas."

"So the village is sexist then?"

"Not overtly, it's just that no one really thinks about it, we're better off here than in waterfall."

Naruto glanced at her, "What's so bad about waterfall?"

"Once we married I would have effectively become your slave, if I didn't obey you could beat me and no one would bat an eye."

Silence descended of the table and Hanabi smiled softly, "We're getting off topic all I was getting at is it might not have been so bad to have her moved to the boys group, even if it means she has to do more work at home."

Naruto nodded in agreement, "I think I'll go over some physical training with her on weekends as well, she's going to be at chunin level by the time she graduates."

Hanabi rolled her eyes and pushed the line toward him, "Go make the bed, it's your turn."

--

Tsunade signed her name at the bottom of what felt like the millionth release form that day, every ninja who was injured had to have their bills diverted to the Hokages's office and signed by her. Everyone released from the hospital, everyone returning from a mission, going on a mission, moving house, getting married, having kids, every new child joining the academy, absolutely _anything_ ninja related required her to sign a form.

Hell she was fairly certain she'd start getting forms soon telling her when one of her ANBU sneezed on patrol! She pulled the next form toward her with a sigh when suddenly there was a loud bang and her office doors flew open followed by a blur of blonde and purple.

In a flash Ino was in front of her desk unrolling a large scroll over all her paperwork, Tsunade decided as long as this scroll didn't need signing she didn't really mind. "Care to explain?" She asked the now babbling woman before her.

Ino stopped and took a deep breath, "Right, yes, sorry… I think I found it."

"Found what? The cause of Naruto's memory loss?"

Ino nodded, "Look here," she pointed to a part of the scroll covered with complicated sketches and hand seals, "the 'twin memory technique'"

Tsunade followed where she was pointing and read the scroll, "I don't understand this, it's talking about theories I've never heard of."

Ino blinked, "Right, sorry, err…" she looked around the room and settled her gaze on the largely ignored jug of water and glasses in the corner grabbing them she returned to the table and put down a glass, "Imagine this is a human mind," she poured water into the glass so that it came to around the half way mark, "and this is memory."

Tsunade nodded and motioned for her to continue, Ino started to pour a slow trickle of water into the glass, "This is your everyday event that you are observing adding to your memory."

She placed a second glass next to the first so that the rims were touching and then poured so that water flowed into both at once, "This technique divides memory so that as well as going into your own memory it goes to a sort of 'guest consciousness' hidden inside the victims brain."

Tsunade raised her eyebrow, "To what end?"

Ino smiled, "That's the clever bit, this glass," she pointed to the second glass she had added, "this 'guest consciousness' is a chakra entity and as such can be removed at a later date – the perfect spy technique because the person doing the spying is in no way a spy and therefore cannot be caught. You simply come along later and extract the memories."

"Ok," Tsunade nodded, "but this sound nothing like what's happening to Naruto."

"That's because it isn't," Ino smiled, "But it was."

"Naruto's been an unwilling spy?" Tsunade asked in horror, Naruto had been given access to some of the villages most vital secrets over the years, this could be dire.

"No, and that's the problem," Ino pointed to the glass, "In the case of a normal person there is only so much memory their chakra can absorb before the technique simply fails, about two to three months according to the estimations of the person who wrote this scroll."

"But Naruto has abnormal chakra." Tsunade muttered.

Ino nodded, "Yes! The technique kept going and going until," she started to pour more and more water into the second glass until it overflowed onto the Hokages' desk.

She looked into Tsunade's eyes, "It overloaded, or at least I think so."

"You think so?"

Ino frowned, "That's where the theory stumbles, if we assume that Naruto's last memory is when he got hit with the technique itself then it would be around twelve years ago."

"Plenty of time to overload it." Tsunade observed.

"That's just it! If it was going to overload it should have done so long ago, it's just been benignly floating around his system since then – I can only come to one logical conclusion."

"Which is?"

"Someone else has tried to tamper with something in his head recently, to make him forget something most likely, but their technique mixed badly with the one already in his system."

"And that person is a Yamanka?"

Ino shook her head, "We're back to square one as far as the perpetrator is concerned, I checked the records and a Yamanaka missing nin was caught not far from Naruto's location a month after the last mission he says he remembers – they probably planned to use him to see what kind of heat was after them."

Tsunade leant back in her chair, "This is all very interesting but what do we know for certain?"

Ino shrugged, "Someone used a memory technique in him twelve years ago that has remained dormant until now, and I think we can be reasonably certain that not too long ago Naruto saw something he wasn't supposed to in this village."

--

Naruto smiled softly to himself as he hung a framed photo on the wall of his study, a skipping Hana stopped to tug on his leg, Naruto stooped and picked her up.

"Why do you have a picture of the sleepy lady?"

Naruto smiled sadly, "Sleepy lady?"

Hana nodded, "Whenever you took me to see her she was sleeping."

Naruto sighed, "I suppose it would seem that way to you… you must have been four when she died."

Hana tilted her head to one side as she looked at her photo, "She has her eyes open, I've never seen her with her eyes open."

Naruto's eyes clouded slightly, "She was ill sweetie, she was much more lively before – always smiling, always laughing."

"Like you daddy?"

Naruto chuckled, "Yeah like me, she was special to me – _that's_ why I have her picture."

"Special like mummy's special?"

Naruto closed his eyes, "Yes and no, she was special to me, just like mummy, but a different kind of special… you'll find out as you get older what I mean… you live each person differently."

"Like I love you and mummy differently?"

Naruto frowned, "What do you mean you love me and mummy differently?"

"Well, mummy makes really nice food but daddy tries to make me eat yucky Ramen."

"But surely that doesn't change how much you love me?"

Hana scrunched up her face, "I _really_ don't like Ramen."

"Like the little lady says," Hanabi said from the doorway," she _really_ doesn't like ramen." Naruto turned to see Hanabi's eyes dancing with mirth.

Naruto gently put Hana down feeling slightly shell shocked, "I think I need to lie down for a bit."

Hanabi chuckled and gave him a hug, "I love you just the same, ramen or not." Naruto gave a halfhearted smile as he watched Hana explore his study, "I see you have a new photo."

Naruto nodded, "I visited the Inuzuka clan earlier, it was a gift when I talked things through with her mother."

Hanabi didn't need any clarification of who Naruto meant by 'her', she studied the pretty features of the woman in the photograph, "She's nothing like me."

Naruto raised his eyebrows, "Did you expect her to be?"

Hanabi looked again at the photo, it showed Inuzuka Hana sat on a log smiling brightly with her three dogs around her feet, "She's tall," Naruto felt an internal groan, he could tell Hanabi was feeling a little insecure right now, "And she has larger breasts than me… and prettier eyes… and she smiles."

Naruto silenced her with a kiss, "You are plenty tall enough for me, your bust is perfect in my eyes, I like your eyes and you smile at me – if it bothers you I can take it down."

Hanabi glanced at the photo, "No, it's important to you and I know you mean nothing by having it here… I guess it just means your ready to be open about what happened," Naruto nodded but Hanabi seemed pensive, "When you said my bust was perfect in your _eyes_ did you mean it only _looks_ sufficient?"

Naruto groaned and let his head fall forward.


End file.
